Car fenders are a must-have if you want to protect your vehicle from splashing mud. It is just a small plastic enclosure that is often installed over the wheels of your car so that it doesn’t get too affected by mud on the road.
The Chevrolet Suburban and Silverado are both huge cars that can be greatly impacted by mud on the road. Since they are heavy-duty vehicles when they slide through the roads the amount of mud that they splash is higher.
Both of these vehicles, therefore, need fenders. Now, the question remains what kind of fender will fit the Silverado? Will suburban fender flares fit a Silverado?
Generally, fenders are a universal part. This means, with a little bit of tweaking and adjustments made you can use fenders on any vehicle. So, yes suburban fenders will fit a Silverado easily.
There are a lot of things that you need to know before interchanging the fenders. Here is more information that will help you achieve a successful installation.
Will Suburban Fender Flares Fit A Silverado
Fenders or wheel cover protectors are usually universal. Therefore, they fit almost all kinds of vehicles of the same size.
Since the Suburban and the Silverado are more or less similar in size, any one kind of flare fender fit the models perfectly.
Usually, wheel cover protectors made for the 2000 to 2006 models of Chevy suburban will fit 1999 to 2006 models of the Chevy Silverado perfectly.
One of the great things about the Chevy Silverado is that it is very versatile. Therefore, besides being compatible with the Chevy suburban fender flares, it is also compatible with the 1999 to 2006 GMC Sierra fender flares.
Do keep in mind that the fender flares might be a little different for the different models of vehicles. But, this does not mean that the product is unusable for a Chevy Silverado. All you have to do is take a good look at the construction of the fender flare and understand its installation process. You can use the help of different online videos such as a good Silverado 1500 Red Rock fender flare installation video to understand more about the process.
With a little bit of tweaking and adjustments, you can easily fit a suburban fender flare onto a Chevy Silverado.
How To Install Fenders On Silverado
If you can program a Chevy Silverado key fob, you should not have any trouble changing the fender flares.
Check our article to learn how to program a Chevy Silverado key fob.
There are just a few easy steps that you need to follow to change the fender flares successfully.
1. Test The Fit
So you have bought a brand new suburban fender flare set for your Chevy Silverado. The first thing that you need to do is grab the flare and the hardware and do a fit test.
This is nothing complicated, it’s a simple procedure where you just hold the flare against the vehicle’s passenger side wheel. Match the installation markings with the car’s attachment locations.
When doing this, you will see that the installation markings on the flare match perfectly with the markings on the vehicle. This is because both of the cars are more or less the same size.
The holes on the flare will line up perfectly with the side attachments of the wheel.
2. Rubber Seal
You will receive a rubber seal with the flare kit that you have bought. Most good quality flare gets such as the DNA Motoring IF-10018-MBK 4 Pcs OE Style Wheel Fender Flares have the rubber seal included with purchase.
Attach the rubber seal to the side of the flare and cut off the excess with any regular scissors. Make sure you line the flare perfectly with this seal as it adds a lot to the protection factor of the unit. Do not cut the rubber seal too short or too long.
To prevent any mishaps, it is better to first attach the entire rubber seal to the side of the flare and then cut as needed instead of cutting first and then attaching to the flare.
3. Attach The Nuts
Next, you will take the rivet nuts and attach them to the flare. You can use a good quality not driver such as the Klein Tools 32807MAG 7-in-1 Nut Driver to do so.
When tightening the nuts, make sure you do not go too hard on them. The nuts should fit on the flare firmly but should not be too tight.
4. Remove Factory Hardware
Now you have to remove the factory hardware on the Chevy Silverado. If you take out the instruction manual, you will notice that there are four attachment locations. They are also visible to the naked eye.
Remove the factory hardware to move on to the next step. You can use a bolt remover to do this.
5. Attach The Flare
Now, you will place the flare against the vehicle and screw it in place.
Remember the factory hardware that you took out in the previous step? Now, you will have to screw them back in through the flare.
You can use your fingers to tighten the hardware at first. But remember to use a proper tool to tighten and adjust the hardware in place firmly.
That’s it, you’re done with the installation! Wasn’t that easy?
Frequently Asked Questions
Some modern-day fender flares come with a no-drilling installation process. But most traditional ones do have to be bolted for a more secure attachment.
Most fender flares are made out of plastic. Some also have a composition of form and rubber.
Adding a fender flare to your Chevy Silverado can protect the paint from chipping off. It also keeps the car neater and cleaner and reduces the need for frequent washes and maintenance.
Yes, GMC fender flares will fit both Chevy Suburbans and Chevy Silverados. These vehicles are more or less the same in size and have similar constructions. Therefore, the attachment points on the vehicle line up perfectly with the attachment points on the flare, resulting in perfect installation.
Final Words
If you’re still wondering will suburban fender flares fit a Silverado? The answer to the question is yes!
Any fender flare that fits the Chevy suburban will fit the Chevy Silverado and even the GMC perfectly. There is almost no possibility of you finding a difference in the alignment of the two products.
All you have to do is tighten the bolts in place and the fender for suburban will protect your Silverado from mud and paint chipping
